Today we went back to Vatican City to see St. Peter's Basilica. We've already been inside, but this was our first day inside it where we learned about the main parts. When we first walked inside we saw a statue to the right called Pieta. The statue was made by Michelangelo from 1498-1499 and was commissioned for the old basilica before it was placed in the current one. Michaelangelo took a piece of marble and wanted to conform it so that it showed mercy. It depicts a scene from after the crucifixion because Mary is holding a dead Jesus. Mary seems sad, but serene at the same time. According to Dr. Robert White, the meaning is based on a mother with her dead son more than Mary holding the savior of the world in her lap. Jesus is positioned in her lap like a mother would hold a baby. If you look closely you would notice how large her legs are so that they can support the marble Jesus. It can be hard to spot because of the draping of her dress. I feel like seeing your son die would be really traumatic, but of all that Mary went through she seemed to be very strong both mentally and physically. Maybe that's a reason her legs were so big. It was really interesting how young Mary looked in the staue because she should be about 46 at the time of Jesus' death. Fun fact, Jesus was born around 4 BC and died around 30 AD. Her face was very youthful and very similar to statues of her holding a baby version of Jesus. I also thought it was weird that the statue was encased because every other statue is either out in the open or roped off. We were told the reasoning behind it was because a man came to the basilica and started chipping it with a pick axe. If you look closely you can see Jesus' left foot lifted up a bit. We were told this was to give the impression that he would be falling to the alter below. It was really cool how detailed the statue was. You can see the indents in Mary's body from holding Jesus. This statue was very smooth and finished compared to michaelangelos last statue that we saw in the movie. The rondanini pieta looks abstract because michaelangelo kept chipping away at the stone until there wasn't enough left. Knowing many of these specific details makes this statue even more impressive because I have a better sense of what Michaelangelo was thinking. I want to research this statue more so that I can find other significant yet hardly noticeable placements that are important.
Pieta
Here is a picture from where the American press stands when there is a new pope.
I found my favorite food place today. I don't even remember what I had, but it was amazing. I believe the restaurant was called da Roberto, but don't quote me on it. We had class in the building where I took the picture above. After class we started walking back to the dorms because we are all exhausted and found a supermarcado where I got bread, olives, cheese, and popcorn. Surprise! In a little bit we're going back to class to watch a three hour movie on Michaelangelo. Wish me luck!
Statue from the roof of the basilica.
View from the dome of the basilica. 
Getting to the dome was not an easy task. We had over 300 stairs and some really tight spaces. There were a bunch of people that had to stop and rest in little windowsills. At one point you were practically walking sideways. I think the trip to Assisi really prepped me for this.
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